In September, I turned 60. That's something of a milestone and not everyone makes it that far. I'm in reasonable health though I have some work to do. I expect to live at least another 25 years. That's based on both of my parents making it into their 80s, mom's still alive at 81 and pop made it to 82. It's also based on my chart. The planet that stands for the giver of years shows between 82 and 84. Compared to many of my contemporaries and certainly to my parents, I live a fairly healthy life, so I figure 85 is probably about right. Of course, accidents are possible and neglect could shorten that but, all things being equal and especially if I quit or drastically reduce smoking (a little under a pack a day of American Spirits), 85 should be no problem. But that's a personal cycle.
Using traditional astrology, we can know our personal cycles and make adjustments with that information and a dose of Will. Theoretically, most of us could live in good health to between 120 and 150. It's not in the cards or perhaps I should say, stars, for all of us but it is a real possibility. Considering population pressures and various toxins in our food and water, it's hard to get past 60 let alone 80 or further. But it is possible. Even many genetic disadvantages and debilitating accidents can be remedied. Evenso, life remains a battle against gravity and parasites.
Thinking of personal cycles brings to mind larger cycles. Recent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions run on a cycle of their own as do the weather, politics, economics, and spiritual trends. Astrologically the change or crisis points of these cycles are shown by conjunctions of the planets, especially the outer planets. In our lifetime (those around my age anyway) there have been the great conjunctions of Uranus and Pluto in 1965 and the great conjunction of Uranus and Neptune in 1992. In the last generation there was the conjunction of Neptune and Pluto in 1891. These are long cycles. Neptune/Uranus has to do with climate and weather and happens about every 171 years. Neptune/Pluto has to do with the spiritual and supernatural among other things and happens about every 492 years. The current square between Saturn and Pluto is connected with the recent seismic activity. There is also a noncyclic factor at work behind the scenes and this makes sense when we consider the immense span of years between the dawn of human consciousness and the present. According to archeologists, we emerged from the trees about 5 million years ago. During all that time, we developed or unfolded or evolved in fits and starts largely in response to changes in our environment. There were long stretches of thousands of years when we changed but little and short periods (relatively speaking) when we adjusted rapidly to disaster or abundance and in so doing changed our view of the World and ourselves. This process is known as a paradigm shift. Those born during and after the shift look at the world in a very different way than those born long enough before it to be adults. The marker for these Great Shifts astrologically, are the visible supernovas. These are unpredictable. We can say statistically how many can be expected in a given period of time, roughly where to look in the sky based on our astronomical knowledge, but we can't say exactly when to expect one or how bright it will be. Historically, we have had only four supernovas. At each event, our view of the World changed. The first was in 1006 AD and signals the current that launched the Crusades. The next two are fairly close together and very bright. Each was visible in broad daylight and remained visible for over a year. These were the novas of 1572 and 1604. The 1572 nova launched the scientific world view we now hold though it did take some time to catch on, and the 1604 nova signalled the great colonial expansion of Europe and the wars of religion with consequent weakening of the power of the Church. Recently, in 1987 we had another supernova. This one was not as bright as the earlier ones but did persist for over a year. The nova of 1987 coincided with the end of the Cold War which included the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the birth of the internet, environmental awareness (partly due to Chernobyl), and much greater depth in research into antiquity and former modes of thinking- we might say an appreciation of Worldview.
In our own lives we also have wild cards which change our view of our own lives and of the world. Sometimes it is the personal effect of a nova but more often it is a bright comet. Comets too have bigger picture effects but since they are much more frequent than novas, they are more likely to have a noticable effect in a personal life.
Larger and smaller cycles are intertwined and reflect each other. The personal reflects the global and vice versa. We now know that there are the steady cycles of the planets and the irregular wild cards shown by comets and novas. The brighter they are, and the more long lasting, the more noticeable and influential their effects. When there are unexpected events in the personal lives or the World at large, there are unexpected events in the heavens. When the psychics and astrologers, not to mention the more conventional analysts are at a loss, ask an astrologer or astronomer if there's something new in the heavens. This will usually be the key to understanding the mystery.
Is there a link between the volcanoes and the Tea Party movement and of both to an underlying celestial cycle ? Just a thought.
- Jonathan Flanery, November 4th, 2010
